For many years, I thought being a National Geographic photographer would be a dream job. Travel to exotic locations, experience new cultures, and create incredible photos of volcanoes, eclipses, animals, nature, and people. It was much later that I learned that a substantial percentage of their photographers sacrificed family life to record these breathtaking images. I have to admit I was not prepared to suffer that much for my art.
Still, the yearning to get "the shot" continued, so I had to figure out a way to create a great picture when the circumstances were less than ideal. You know, when the private jet is in the shop and you can't fly to the Arctic Circle to catch that Northern lights or when the meteor shower is at 3 A.M. and you've been up since 11 P.M. trying to get the baby back to sleep. My solution...create your own. This "solar eclipse" in the photo above is actually a hallway light in the movie theater closest to our home. Monica's round make-up mirror is also a great substitute for a solar eclipse. A quick shot with the cell phone, a bit of post processing, and you have a reasonable facsimile of the event without all the tiresome planning and waiting for just the right moment. This way, being a photographer isn't all that hard or that time consuming. So, if you'll excuse me, there are some really funny new cat videos on YouTube that I want to watch.
